Ice tray



Feb. 15, 1944. s. L DIACK ET AL ICE TRAY Filed Jan. 25, 1941 INVENTORS mm m L LW MH MC AR 5A Patented Feb. 15, 1944 ICE TRAY Samuel L. Diack and Arch W. Black,

. Portland, Oreg.

- Application January 25, 1941, Serial No. 375,970

13 Claims. 62-1085) This invention relates to freezing trays of the type ordinarily used inmechanical refrigerators for causing ice to form in cubes, and has particular reference to means for freeing the ice cubes from the tray and for facilitatingthe removal and use thereof.

It is an object of thelinvention to provide an improved means for releasing the ice cubes from thetrays and grids in which they were frozen.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means utilizing the pressure created by expansion within the tray to break the bond between the ice cubesand the tray.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a means for removing the ice cubes from the tray and for conveying them to a place, of use.

It is a further object ofthe invention to provide means overlying the ice tray to which all of the ice cubes shall become attached by freezing, and which may be utilized as means for conveying a part or all of the ice cubes to a place of convenient use.

- These and other objects of the invention are" accomplished by that construction and arrangement of parts of which the following. is an exemplary embodiment.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ice tray embodying the invention, certain portions being broken away to show more clearly the construction of the ice ejecting and conveying means.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the ice tray, illustrating the effect of contraction of the fluid in the sealed compartment,

which may be brought about by placing the tray in the freezing compartment of the refrigerator.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the ice tray, showing the result of expansion of the fluid in the sealed compartment.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of an ice tray employing a construction of modified form for ejecting the ice cubes from the tray.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectiona1 elevation of the tray shown in Figure 4 as the same would appear after being removed from the refrigerator.

Figure 6 is-a perspective view of an inverted cover for an ice tray embodying the invention, illustrating the manner in which the ice cubes become attached to and are carried by prongs depending from the cover.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an ice tray employing a modified form of cover for removing ice cubes from the tray.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of an inverted section of the cover shown in Figure 7, illustrating the manner in which the cubes may be removed from the tray.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l0 indicates an ice tray having side walls ll, end walls l2, and a bottom l3. The thin metallic'diaphragm l4, illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, is secured to the interior of the tray so as to divide it into an upper freezing compartment I5 and a lower sealed compartment IS. The thin metallic diaphragm I4 is preferably of spring steel, and

has a snap action caused by expansion of fluid contained within the sealed compartment :8.

Positioned in the upper part of the trayis a grid assembly made up of a central longitudinal partition I! and transverse partitions l8, which together dividcitthe freezing compartment l5 of the tray into a plurality of cube compartments. Preferably the grid assembly is made of rubber, though obviously it may be made of any other suitable materiaL- Applicants have discovered that by filling the sealed compartment IS with a fluid having a high ccefiicient 'of expansion at temperatures above 0 C., such expansion may be employed to break the bond between the ice cubes and the tray. A modification of the invention is embodied in a structure wherein applicants employ a bladder l9 designed to lie in the ice tray and cover the bottom thereof. It has been discovered that the bladder l9 may be filled with air or other fluids, and that upon removal of the tray from the freezing compartment of the refrigerator the fluid within the bladder will expand sufiiciently to cause the ice cubes to be loosened from the walls of the tray and to be partly ejected therefrom. It is preferable that the compartment IE or bladder Ill be filled with a fluid having a boiling point between 0 C. and 20 C. When a fluid possessing this physical property is used, by the time the water in the freezing compartment l5 has solidified to form ice cubes, the fluid in the compartment IE, or within the bladder l9, shall have become liquid, permitting a very marked contraction-of the walls of the compartment. Contraction of the walls of the compartment IE, or bladder I9, permits the water in the freezing compartment IE to seek a lower level in the tray,

and the ice cubes, when formed, will be foundpartment l6 absorbs heat to the extent that it very quickly reaches its boiling point and becomes gaseous. Thereupon expansion of the fluid causes expansion of the walls of the compartment l6, and the pressure created thereby is suflicient to break the bond between the ice cubes and the tray. Dichloromonofiuoromethane (CHCIZF), which has a boiling point of 8.9 C.; dichlorotetrafiuoroethane (C2C12F4), which has a boiling point of 35 0.} and ethyl chloride (C2H5C1) which has a' boiling point of l3.l C., are commonly known refrigerants which posess physical properties rendering them suitable for applicants use. Trichloromonofiuoromethane (CClsF), which has a boiling point of 233 0., may also be utilized as the refrigerant, especially where room temperatures are likely to be 75 F. or above.

In operation, the tray is filled'with water and placed in the freezing compartment of a mechanical refrigerator, and the water allowed to freeze. The freezing temperatures induced by operation of the refrigerator will cause the refrigerant contained within the bladder l 9, or within the compartment l6, as the case may be, to liquefy, thereby causing contraction of the compartment and permitting the water in the upper portion of the tray to flow to its lowest level. It is immaterial how long the tray may remain in the refrigerator, since so long as the tray is not removed therefrom the ice will remain frozen, and no action will be created to eject the ice cubes from the tray.

While it may be preferable to use refrigerants possessing physical properties above noted, it is wholly within the range of feasibility to utilize air as the contracting and expanding medium. It is wellknown that the atmosphere contains a large percentage of water vapor, and that at a certain temperature known as the dew point the liquefaction of the water vapor begins. As an example, with a difference between dry and wet bulb thermometer readings of 4 0., and with a relative humidity of 64, the dew point is approxi mately 10' C. However, normally the condensation point of water vapor in the atmosphere is above C., and by the time the water in the freezing compartment 15 has solidified to form ice cubes, condensation of the water content of the atmosphere within the compartment l6, together with the coefficient of contraction of the air, will have permitted a material contraction of the walls of the compartment. Conversely, when the tray is removed from the refrigerator into contact with the heated atmosphere of the average kitchen, expansion of the air Within the compartment I6 is accelerated by reason of the fact that the moisture content of the compartment becomes water vapor and the coefficient of expansion of the air within the compartment is correspondingly increased.

When it is desired to remove the ice cubes from the tray, the tray is removed from the refrigerator and placed upon any convenient support in a room, such as a kitchen, wherein the atmosphere is at normal room temperature. The heat of the atmosphere and of the table or other support upon which .the tray is placed is quickly communicated to the expansible or vaporizable element contained within the compartment !6, or within the bladder l9, whereupon, because of its high coefficient of expansion, this element serves to create an expansion suflicient to break the bond between the ice cubes and the tray and partially eject them from the tray. In the structure illustrated in Figures 4 and a snap action is imparted to the diaphragm M which reacts to break the bond between the ice cubes and the walls of the tray. In the construction illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 the swelling of the bladder l9 serves a similar purpose.

A feature of the invention is the provision of means overlying the ice tray, to which all of the ice cubes shall become attached by freezing, and which is so constructed and arrangedas to serve as a means for removing the ice cubes from the tray. The cover 20, illustrated in Figures 1 and 6, is of a size adequate to rest upon the top edges of the walls of the tray. 1 The cover 20 comprises a frame having a plurality of latticed cross members 2| forming a net work'between the edges of the frame. Afiixed to the cover at each juncture of the cross members 2| is a dependent prong or finger 22, these being so spaced and arranged that one prong or finger 22 projects downwardly into each ice cube compartment of the grid assembly. Preferably, each prong or finger 22 is triangular in cross section, and tapers from its point of connection with the cover 20 to its free end.

When the ice tray has been removed from the refrigerator and the fiuid within the expansion compartment has reacted to loosen the ice cubes from the walls of the tray, the cover 20 may thereupon be lifted from the tray with its load of ice cubes. Thereupon the cover may be laid upon its back and the ice cubes lifted from the prongs or fingers as desired. It will be discovered that the ice cubes have become attached by freezing only to the prongs or fingers 22, and that a sufficient space 23 exists between the adjacent surface of the ice cube and the under side of the cover to facilitate lifting the separate cubes from the prongs or fingers 22. The prongs or fingers 22 preferably are made with their cross sections outof-round to hold the ice cubes from turning or pivoting thereabout as the cover is lifted from the tray. If not all of the ice cubes are needed for present use the cover may be replaced upon the tray, the ice cubes being held in proper position to reenter the respective compartments of the grid from which each was at first removed. The perforations 24 or open spaces within the network of the cover permit the tray to be refilled with water after the cover has been replaced thereon.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a modified construction of the cover. In these figures the cover for the ice trayis made in the form of strips 25 which lie transversely across the ice tray in edge to edge relation, each strip 25 being designed to cover one row of compartments of the grid. De-

pending from each strip 25 into each of the com-' partments of the grid assembly therebeneath is a prong or finger 26 made in the same shape and configuration as hereinabove described in connection with the disclosures of Figures 1 and 6.

The construction of the cover illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 permits the removal of a minimum number of ice cubes from the tray without disturbing the remainder of the ice cubes in the tray, thus obviating the necessity of returning the unused ice cubes to the tray, as when having removed a one piece cover to which an of the cubes in the tray were attached, such as indicated at 20 in Figures 1 and 6.

Preferably, the cover 20 or cover strips 25 are made of a material which is a non-conductor of heat. Otherwise the heat absorbed from the atmosphere when the tray is removed from the refrigerator will be communicated to the prongs or fingers 22, causing the ice cubes to slip therefrom as the cover is lifted from the tray. The prongs or fingers may partake of any desired configuration. For example, they may be crimped or may be provided with barbs to prevent the cubes from falling therefrom as the cover is lifted. In any event, a slight twisting motion exerted upon an individual ice cube will serve to break the bond between it and the prong or finger.

It .is intended that the drawing illustrating the invention, and the description thereof, shall merely serve as examples of particular embodiments of the invention. For example, it will be appreciated that any suitable chemical element possessing the properties of contraction at or near the freezing temperature of water, and expansion at temperatures thereabove, may be used in the expansion chamber iii. For this and other similar reasons, applicants believe themselves entitled to all changes and modifications of the illustrated device as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described our invention and in what manner the same may be used, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an ice tray having an upper freezing compartment and a lower sealed compartment, a grid comprising a plurality of partitions and cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice cube compartments, means overlying the ice tray to which the ice cubes in said compartments shall become attached by freezing, said means being removably supported on said try and adapted to be utilized as means for removing ice cubes from the tray and conveying them to a place of use, and a fluid in said sealed compartment vaporizable at temperatures between C. and 20 C. whereupon a rise in temperature will cause said liquid to vaporize and expand the walls of said compartment and break the bond between the tray and the ice cubes therewithin.

2. In combination with an ice tray, a flexible diaphragm dividing the interior of the tray into an upper freezing compartment and a lower sealed compartment, said diaphragm having a snap action induced by the expansion of fluid contained within said sealed compartment, a fluid in said sealed compartment having a high coefficient of expansion at temperatures between 0 C. and 20 C., a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice compartments, and means overlying the ice tray to which the ice cubes in said compartments shall become attached by freezing, said means being removably supported on said tray and adapted to be utilized as means for removing ice cubes from the tray and conveying them to a place of use.

3. In combination with an ice tray; a flexible diaphragm dividing the interior of the tray into an upper freezing compartment and a lower sealed compartment, a fluid in'said sealed compartment in position to react against said flexible diaphragm, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice compartments, and means overlying the ice tray to which the ice cubes in said compartments shall become attached by freezing, the fluid in said compartment being sufficiently expansible upon being heated to room temperature to exert a force upon said diaphragm and break the bond between the ice and the tray.

, 4. In combination with an ice tray, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice compartments, a flexible diaphragm dividing the interior of the tray into an upper freezing comice cube compartments, pressure responsive partment and a lower sealed compartment, and a fluid in said sealed compartment'in position to react against said flexible diaphragm, the fluid in said compartment being sufliciently expansible upon being heated to room temperature to exert a force upon said diaphragm and break th bond between the ice and the tray.

5. In combination with an ice tray, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice compartments, pressure responsive means positioned in the bottom of said tray for breaking the bond between the tray and the ice formed therewithin, and means overlying the ice tray to which the ice cubes in said compartments shall become attached by freezing, said means being removably supported on said tray and adapted to be utilized for removing ice cubes from the tray and conveying them to a place of use.

6. In combination with an ice tray, a grid as sembly positioned therein to form a plurality of means for breaking the bond between the tray and the ice formed therewithin, a cover for said tray, and a plurality of dependent prongs or fin gers attached to said cover and so spaced and arranged that one prong or finger projects downwardly into each compartment of the grid and to which the ice cubes therein shall become attached by freezing, said cover being removable from said tray to convey said cubes from the tray to a place of use. v

7. In combination with an ice tray, a grid assembly positioned therein to form a plurality of ice cube compartments, pressure responsive means for breaking the bond between the tray and the ice formed therewithin, a cover for said tray, said cover comprising a multiplicty of strips adapted to overlie'the tray in edge to edge relation, a prong or finger attached to each strip of said cover and projecting downwardly into a compartment of the grid to which the ice cube 'therewithin shall become attached by freezin each said strip being removable from said tray whereby a minimum number of ice cubes may be removed from the tray.

8. In combination with an ice tray, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice cube compartments, a flexible bladder removably positioned in the bottom of said tray, and a fluid in said bladder having a boiling point between 0 C. and 20 C. whereby vaporization of the fluid will expand said bladder and break the bond between the tray and the ice formed therewithin.

9. In combination with an ice tray, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice cube compartments, a flexible bladder removably positioned in the bottom of said tray, and a fluid in said bladder, said fluid being of such character and present in such an amount as to cause, upon a rise in temperature thereof, said bladder to expand and break the bond between said tray and the ice formed therewithin.

10. In combination with an ice tray, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of separate ice cube compartments therewithin,

means positioned within said tray for breaking the bond between the tray and the ice formed therewith, and means projecting into each compartment of the grid to which each said ice cube shall become attached by freezing for removing the ice cubes from the tray and conveying them to a place of use.

11. In combination with an ice tray, 5, flexible diaphragm dividing the interior of the tray into an upper freezing compartment and a lower sealed compartment, 9, fluid in said sealed compartment in position to react against said flexible diaphragm, a grid overlying said flexible diaphragm and cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice compartments, the fluid in said compartment being of such character and present in such an amount as to cause, upon a rise in temperature thereof, the application of a force upon said diaphragm sufficient to break the bond between said tray and the ice formed therewithin.

12. In combination with an ice tray, a flexible diaphragm dividing the interior of the tray into an upper freezing compartment and a lower sealed compartment, 9. fluid in said sealed compartment in position to react against said flexible diaphragm, a grid overlying said flexible diaphragm and cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of ice compartments, the fluid in said compartment having a boiling point between 0' C. and 20 C. whereby vaporization of the fluid will exert a force upon said diaphragm sufllcient to break the bond between said tray and the ice formed therewithin.

13. In combination with an ice tray, a grid cooperating with said tray to form a plurality of separate ice cube compartments therewithin, a cover for said tray, a plurality of dependent prongs or fingers attached to said cover and so spaced and arranged that one prong or finger projects downwardly into each compartment of the grid and to which the ice cubes therein shall become attached by freezing, said cover being removable from said tray to convey said cubes from the tray to a place or use.

SAMUEL L. DIACK. ARCH W. DIACK. 

